At a Glance
- Tasks: Support foster and kinship carers, guiding them through assessments and providing ongoing support.
- Company: Achieving for Children, a not-for-profit social enterprise with a community focus.
- Benefits: 29 days annual leave, flexible working, and excellent learning opportunities.
- Other info: Join a supportive team committed to equality and safeguarding.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in children's lives while developing your social work career.
- Qualifications: Recognised Social Work qualification and experience in fostering or kinship assessments.
The predicted salary is between 46799 - 50932 £ per year.
Achieving for Children is a Community Interest Company that has a public sector ethos, combined with the freedom to innovate enabling us to do things differently. As a not-for-profit social enterprise owned by three local authorities (Windsor & Maidenhead, Kingston and Richmond), we offer the freedoms of a social enterprise with the employment benefits of local government.
Location: Windsor and Maidenhead (Maidenhead Town Hall, SL6 1LF)
Contract: 12‑month fixed‑term, full‑time (37 hours per week)
Hours: 37 per week; Hybrid working
Salary: £46,799 – £50,932 (G8.49 – G8.52)
Closing date: 19/07/2026
Job reference: 2403
About the role:
As a Fostering & Kinship Social Worker, you will work with prospective and approved foster carers and kinship carers, guiding them through every stage of their journey. You will undertake assessments including Form F, Form K, Special Guardianship and viability assessments, while providing supervision, advice and ongoing support to help carers build stable, nurturing homes for children and young people. You will contribute to permanency planning, participate in fostering duty services and present assessments to fostering panels, and help shape carer training, support groups and service development, all within our strengths‑based Signs of Safety practice model.
About you:
- A recognised Social Work qualification, active Social Work England registration and a commitment to continuous professional development.
- Experience completing fostering, kinship or Special Guardianship assessments, or other complex social work assessments.
- Strong relationship‑building skills and experience supporting foster carers, kinship carers and partner agencies.
- A good understanding of fostering legislation, safeguarding and permanency planning.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce high‑quality assessments and reports.
- A proactive, organised approach with the ability to manage a varied workload and work collaboratively within a supportive team.
About our benefits:
- 29 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after 4 years with an additional day off in your birthday month (or for term‑time workers, your leave entitlement consists of the non‑working periods in your contract).
- Tailored induction sessions commencing on the date you start working for AfC.
- Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension).
- Flexible working options.
- A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme.
- A range of staff benefits and discounts.
- An excellent learning and development offer to support your career pathway.
Important Information:
Start dates: Achieving for Children have meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.
Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points‑based immigration system affecting EU and Non‑EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the for right to work guidance.
Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.
Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
Social Worker Fostering And Kinship in Maidenhead employer: Achieving For Children
Achieving for Children is an exceptional employer, offering a unique opportunity to lead and shape a brand-new supported accommodation service in Maidenhead. With a strong commitment to providing high-quality support for vulnerable young people, we foster a collaborative work culture that prioritises professional development and personal growth. Join us to make a meaningful impact while enjoying the benefits of flexible working arrangements and being part of a dedicated team focused on positive outcomes.
